Tigers Upset No. 10 Saint Louis in First Round of NCAA Tournament
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The magical postseason run continues for the Memphis Tiger women’s soccer team after knocking off the No. 2-seeded Saint Louis Billikens, 1-0, Saturday afternoon in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Jason Smith discussed the win on the Jason & John Show on 92.9 FM ESPN on Monday (11/14):
Senior forward Saorla Miller’s 64th-minute strike helped secure Memphis its second-consecutive first-round victory in the NCAA Tournament and end the season for the 10th-ranked Billikens (20-2).
“Props to the team,” head coach Brooks Monaghan said after the win. “They came out and played an amazing game and we couldn’t ask for more than that. Saint Louis is a really good team and they’re 10th in the country for a reason, but our girls came out in that second half and executed our gameplan and it came out in our favor.”
The Tigers (10-5-5) advance to play at No. 7 seed Mississippi State in the second round. The date and time will be announced after the conclusion of all first-round games.
KEY MOMENTS
After a scoreless first 45 minutes that saw the Tigers manage just one shot, senior forward Mya Jones played a ball from the top of the box in the 64th minute and found Miller near post for a touch between the keeper’s legs for the lone tally.The Tigers would get one shot on-goal in the first half from Jocelyn Alonzo, while Jones and Miller each put one on target in the final 45 minutes. Claire Wyville came away with a save in the 80th minute to hold off a late charge from the Billikens. The Memphis defense held Saint Louis to just three shots in the final 30 minutes with only one of those being on target.
NOTABLES
Saint Louis outshot Memphis 13-5 in the match, including 6-1 in the first half. Wyville earned her third clean sheet of the postseason and her eighth of the year, while matching her season-high with four saves and improving to 7-2-5 between the pipes. After not having a 1-0 victory in the regular season, the Tigers have three 1-0 wins in four matches this postseason. The Tigers ended Saint Louis’ 18-match win streak with the decision. Its last defeat came on Aug. 25 to No. 15 Notre Dame, 2-0.The Billikens had only allowed only nine goals, five at home, all season. Coming into Saturday, they had pitched five straight shutouts and only given up one goal in their last 10 outings.
